


Pictures Don't Hold the Past (But the Memories Will Always Last)

by Joy_in_the_House



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Action, Gen, Origin Story, Photo Albums and Memories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joy_in_the_House/pseuds/Joy_in_the_House
Summary: Mia happens upon a photo album, and wants to know about the man in the police uniform.So Felicity tells her about her Grandpa Quentin.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Comments: 10
Kudos: 58





	Pictures Don't Hold the Past (But the Memories Will Always Last)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WinterJoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterJoy/gifts).

> All subsequent chapters will be based off of actual cast/show pictures. I needed to start somewhere, however, so here we are.  
Thank you for WinterJoy for requesting this!

Felicity paused from where she was washing dishes at the thump.

"What are you up to, kiddo?" She called, still scrubbing while she waited for little Mia's response.

"Mommy? What are these?"

At the question, Felicity's mind raced, trying to remember if she had left anything out that Mia could find.

She hasn't tinkered with the bow in months, so that wasn't it, and Mia knew better than to go into the closet in the master bedroom anyway.

With a sigh and a cautious attitude, she dried her hands and walked into the living room, finding her daughter on the floor, surrounded by books.

"They fell," Mia informed her helpfully.

"They didn't just grow legs and walk off the shelf by themselves, sweetheart," Felicity prompted, and Mia looked away.

"I climbed?" She admitted, more as a question to test the waters of broken boundaries.

"What did I tell you?" Felicity was proud of her daughter for being upfront, but she still had to deal with disobedience.

"I threw Beebo...." Mia pointed up to the shelf where the small stuffed creature was perched.

Felicity let her smile come through as she retrieved the blue blob and handed it to her daughter.

"Thank you, Mommy!" Mia beamed before pointing back to the books.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Felicity shook her head fondly as she knelt and gathered the books up to put them away.

One fell open, and she paused, and as Mia tugged on her sleeve, Felicity realized she had forgotten to breathe.

"Mommy!" Mia pointed at the picture, face puzzled at the unfamiliar face.

"Who's that?"

Felicity huffed a chuckle, and Mia made a distressed noise as she tried to reach her mommy's face to stop her crying.

"Mommy. No, no. Stop."

Felicity tore her gaze from the picture to her daughter, and her heart cracked as she saw her daughter close to tears as she watched her mom cry.

"I'm okay, baby girl," she smiled as she gathered the photo album and her daughter in her arms and moved onto the couch.

As she opened the album, little Mia's tiny hand landed on Felicity's larger one, and the little girl snuggled under her mom's arm for stories.

The first picture showed again, and Felicity pointed to the man standing between a younger Felicity and Oliver Queen with a grin.

"That's Quentin Lance. He was the bravest, smartest, best men I could ever have known, second to no one."

"More than Daddy?" Mia's small muffled voice came from where her face was half-buried in her mom's arm.

Felicity took a moment as she let herself dwell on Oliver's and Quentin's memories.

"Whether your daddy admitted it or not, or even was fully aware, he taught your father more than either of them knew. They taught each other," she said finally, and Mia was satisfied.

"You know Aunt Nyssa? One of Quentin's daughters, named Sara, loved Nyssa very much. Nyssa loved Sara, and still carries Sara's memory in her heart."

Mia nodded solemnly, despite the adoring gleam in her eye when Felicity mentioned Aunt Nyssa.

"He grandpa?"

"Yeah, honey," she smiled. "Your grandpa."

Felicity smiled back at the picture, and remembered the day it was taken.

~~

"Quentin!"

The man in question turned, and a smile lit up his face at Felicity's wave.

Oliver shook his hand warmly, and Felicity hugged him.

"How are you doing?" She asked anxiously, shooting a concerned look at the crutches that Quentin was leaning heavily on.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," he smiled gently at her, but the doubt on her face only stronger as he shifted his weight with a wince. 

She shook her head.

"Sit," she demanded, her face determined, and gently pulled him towards the nearby bench.

She fluttered anxiously nearby as he sat down slowly, adjusting for the brace still on his knee.

He scowled at the hovering, and shot a look at Oliver, who crossed his arms where he stood.

"Can't help you, man," he smirked, but Quentin could see it didn't reach his eyes.

Quentin sulked for a moment, much to Oliver's fake amusement and Felicity's frustration.

"All I did was screw it up a bit," he grumbled, and Felicity huffed angrily (and seemingly, somewhat guilty).

"Quentin you tore your ACL and your left meniscus. That does not qualify as 'a bit.'"

Quentin leaned away as Felicity's voice neared Loud Voice TM territory.

He grimaced, looking up at a now clearly uncomfortable Oliver Queen, and his grimace became a frown.

"Queen!" He barked, and the man (practically a kid still) snapped to attention. Oliver glanced between the two of them, catching the meaningful look towards the nearby corner store, excusing himself that he would fetch coffee for them.

Quentin jerked his head toward the now empty place on the bench beside him.

Felicity silently sat down, and Quentin faced her, face stern.

"Why the face, kid?"

Felicity's hand danced nervously across her face before she sighed.

"You pushed me out of the way of that car, Quentin," she said lowly, eyes not meeting the older man's.

"And what of it?" He raised an eyebrow, knowing he finally had a handle on this.

"You got hurt because of me, because I didn't pay attention!" She exploded, and Quentin wrapped an arm around her, hushing her gently.

"You were focused. You were saving civilians and police, Fel." He could see she wasn't convinced, and he laid it on a bit more. "With your techy doodads, Felicity! I carry a gun. You carry a tablet and you do way more damage!"

She shook her head petulantly from where she was wedged under Quentin's arm.

"It's my-"

Quentin cut her off sharply.

"If you say it's your fault, so help me Felicity Megan Smoak Queen, I will absolutely hit you with my crutches," he threatened.

She smiled slightly, and hugged him.

"Thank you," she muttered in his ear.

He returned the hug with a chuckle before planting the crutches on the ground and pushing himself up with a groan.

"We should rescue your man," he said with a smile, pointing at where Oliver was being mobbed by a half dozen teenage girls.

Felicity followed his gaze, laughing at the sight of Oliver mildly panicked at being surrounded by young ladies.

"I guess we should."

The two made their way over, Felicity keeping pace with Quentin, who was still not the steadiest on his crutches. He had to take a moment to maneuver the curb, and there was a particularly tense moment where the foot of one crutch slipped in a crack, and Felicity's arm under his own alone kept him from making his already abused knee worse.

The two approached the group when Oliver sent the two of them a particularly helpless look.

Quentin rolled his eyes, handing his crutches to Felicity and crossing his arms.

"Girls, I suggest leaving Mr. Queen alone. He's out with his wife, and I think you're crowding him."

The girls backed up nervously at the sheer authority that he commanded standing there, and a couple of them actually started running. The rest trailed behind, much to Felicity's amusement, and she handed the crutches back over to the now wobbling man. He took them gratefully as he smirked at Oliver's red face.

Oliver handed a coffee to Felicity and offered the other to Quentin, who gave him a look with a dramatic nod towards the crutches.

"Sorry," he muttered, face redder than before.

"No worries, kid." Quentin laughed good-naturedly.

"Hot dog stand?" Felicity looked at both men with her famous "please?" smile, and both groaned.

"Fine."

The three strolled down the sidewalk. Felicity pointed the two men to the picnic bench conveniently nearby, as she went to order.

Both men sat carefully. Quentin snorted at the absolutely ridiculous expression of pure domestic bliss on Oliver Queen's face, and not for the first time, but certainly the most recent, Quentin found himself wondering if he and Dinah had ever looked like the two young Queens, so much in love.

"Oh my gosh!!! Captain Lance! Mr. Queen and Ms. Smoak!" A woman called, rushing over.

Quentin knew he was unarmed, but his hand went to his hip anyways, his guard immediately up.

The woman stopped in front of them, eyes shining.

"I'm sorry for just approaching you," she said. "But I needed to tell you how grateful am to all three of you."

Felicity was the first one to speak.

"Thank you, Ms.....?"

"Jinny Williams," she reached out a hand to shake, and each one shook her hand in turn before the woman continued.

"The bank robbery last week? I was one of the three hostages. You all got me out."

She looked at Oliver with a smile.

"You're the Green Arrow."

He ducked his head, suddenly shy.

She turned to Felicity with a warm expression and a twinkle in her eye.

"You're Ms. Smoak- I mean Mrs. Queen. You sent the signal back and corrupted the gang's signals. You bought time for us to fight back." At her words, Felicity's eyes filled with tears and reached to grip Jinny in a hug.

She then turned to Lance, who shifted, feeling the woman's intense gaze.

"Captain, thank you."

He smiled at her, remembering the day when he had gone in to make a deposit, and found himself with a gun to his head.

The three hostages had been taken to the vault, and Felicity had run interference to give Lance, Ms. Williams, and the bank teller time to fight back against the two gang members in the vault guarding them. Bullets had flown, knives were pulled. Somehow the three came out almost unscathed.

He reached forward and hugged her carefully before pulling back and inspecting her at arm’s length.

"You came out all right?"

She nodded before she bit her lip, weighing her words.

"Can I get a picture of you three?" She asked shyly.

"Do you want to be in it?" Felicity asked, her head tilting in question.

Jinny shook her head. "Just you three. I'll send it to you after!"

The three so-called heroes stood stiffly, and Jinny raised her camera.

"No no," she shook the phone at them. "Look happy. Natural."

The three relaxed slightly, and just as she snapped the picture, Jinny remarked, "the happy hero couple and the happy hero police dad!"

The trio froze, staring at each other in a mild panic.

Quentin was the first to crack, beginning to laugh, his breath coming in gasps, interrupted by chuckles. Oliver and Felicity soon joined after, and as the three laughed, Jinny snapped one more picture of the three happy ordinary people, with extraordinary lives.

~~

"She called us heroes that day," Felicity marvelled, and Mia giggled.

With a tiny finger on the page, tracing over her mommy and daddy's faces, she looked up at Felicity.

"Where is grandpa?"

Felicity's throat closed, and it took her a moment to speak. She tried to shove one particular memory back into the box and shut the lid. That was certainly not a story for today.

"He's... He got very badly hurt one day, sweetie. He didn't have much of a chance to fight his injuries."

Mia was quiet for a few minutes while she studied the man in the picture.

"I miss him," she decided. "I didn't know him but I miss him."

"Me too, sweetie," Felicity whispered. "Me too."


End file.
